Tag: Roger Godsiff

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether housing benefit recipients living in supported housing due to mental health problems will be subject to the benefit cap.

Caroline Nokes

People receiving a range of disability benefits including Disability Living Allowance, Personal Independence Payment or who receive the support component of Employment and Support Allowance, are exempt from the benefit cap. The benefit cap does apply to claimants living in specified accommodation if they do not meet the criteria for an exemption but any Housing Benefit they receive will not be taken into account when determining whether the cap should be applied.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to encourage recognition of same-sex marriage in countries where it is not currently recognised.

Alok Sharma

The United Kingdom is committed to tackling discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity. We take discrimination to include the non-enjoyment of equal civil rights by all members of society, including the right to marry. Through our diplomatic network, Her Majesty’s Government regularly demonstrates its support for the principle of same sex marriage and encourages others to follow that example.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-10-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many schools in Birmingham are located in areas with pollution higher than World Health Organisation limits.

Dr Thérèse Coffey

Defra does not hold information on schools in the city that are located in areas with pollution higher than World Health Organisation limits. Birmingham City Council is responsible for reviewing and assessing air quality in its area. It declared a city wide Air Quality Management Area in 2005 and an action plan to tackle NO₂ was put in place. Birmingham City Council is best placed to provide the information requested.

In 2015 measured concentrations of PM₁₀ in the UK were below EU and WHO limit values. Measured concentrations of PM_2.5 were well below the EU limit value of 20µg/m³ but slightly above the WHO value of 10µg/m³ by between 2 and 3µg/m³.

In 2015, Birmingham exceeded the EU limit value for nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) in and around the city centre. The main source of NO₂ emissions is road traffic.

In December 2015, the Government published the national air quality plan for reducing NO₂ concentrations through a new programme of Clean Air Zones in five cities in England, including Birmingham. The plan combines targeted local and national measures and continued investment in clean technologies. These measures will also reduce particulate matter (PM₁₀ and PM_2.5) concentrations. A public consultation seeking views on the draft Clean Air Zone Framework and on the draft regulation mandating the implementation of Clean Air Zones was published on 13 October 2016.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-10-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2016 to Question 47784, if she will make it her policy that changes to environmental protections deriving from EU legislation should be made through primary legislation.

Dr Thérèse Coffey

The Government is considering future arrangements for existing EU legislation. We look forward to working with the industry, rural communities and the wider public to shape our plans for a future outside the EU.

As I said in my previous answer, any future changes in the law will be subject to full scrutiny and proper Parliamentary debate.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-10-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reasons her Department collects data on pupils’ nationality and country of birth; and how that data is used.

Nick Gibb

The new data on nationality, country of birth and English language proficiency will, for the first time, assist the understanding of the impact of migration on schools. For example, what extra support the Government may need to provide to schools with high numbers of children who do not speak English as a first language. It will also help to plan for enough good school places for every child.

Without the evidence and data, the Department cannot have a clear picture of how the school system is working. It will ensure that funds are allocated where needed and that no groups of children miss out on the education they deserve.

The new data on nationality and country of birth is solely for DfE analysts to use for research. This data has not been shared outside the Department.

To address any uncertainties regarding how this information should be collected or used, an information note is placed in the House Libraries.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2015-11-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent progress the Government has made on providing humanitarian assistance to Yemen.

Mr Desmond Swayne

On 27 September 2015, the Secretary of State announced an additional £20 million for humanitarian assistance to Yemen, bringing our overall contribution for 2015-16 to £75 million and making the UK the 4^th largest bilateral donor to Yemen crisis.

UK aid is providing vital medical supplies, water, food and emergency shelter, as well as supporting UN work to co-ordinate the international humanitarian response.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2015-11-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will collect statistics on waiting times for disability benefit appeals to reach tribunal to ensure that such cases are not subject to delays.

Mr Shailesh Vara

HMCTS is unable to provide the information requested as it is not held centrally.

Information about the timeliness of SSCS appeals is published by the Ministry of Justice in the Tribunal and Gender Recognition Certificate Statistics Quarterly. The most recent report (for the period April to June 2015, published on 10 September 2015) can be viewed at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tribunals-and-gender-recognition-certificate-statistics-quarterly-april-to-june-2015.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2015-12-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether it is her policy to replace the Green Deal with other measures to help improve home energy efficiency.

Andrea Leadsom

The Government is committed to meeting its legally binding target to help as many fuel poor homes as reasonably practicable reach energy efficiency Band C by 2030, with interim targets on Band E by 2020 and Band D by 2025.

This Government has also set a specific goal of insulating 1 million homes by the end of this Parliament, in line with our commitments on fuel poverty.

A reformed domestic supplier obligation (ECO) from April 2017 will upgrade the energy efficiency of well over 200,000 homes per year. This will help to tackle the root cause of fuel poverty and continue to deliver on our commitment to help 1 million more homes this Parliament. We are providing support for households to improve their energy efficiency through the new supplier obligation, which will run for 5 years.

Our extension of the Warm Home Discount to 2020/21 at current levels of £320m pa will alsohelp households who are at most risk of fuel poverty with their energy bills.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-01-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will direct the armed forces to drop emergency food aid to the under siege town of Madaya in Syria.

Penny Mordaunt

A joint UN/Syrian Arab Red Crescent/International Committee of the Red Cross operation delivered humanitarian assistance, including food, non-food items, and medical supplies, to Madaya on 11 January. With land access available there are no plans for the RAF to deliver humanitarian assistance by air.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-01-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if her Department will take steps to ensure that all children and young people affected by the Syrian conflict are in school and learning in (a) 2016-17 school year and (b) future years.

Mr Desmond Swayne

At the Conference on Supporting Syria and the Region being held in London on 4^th February, we want the international community to agree a new goal that all Syrian refugee children and affected host country children are in education – formal school or non-formal – by the end of 2016/17. Equally, for inside Syria, it is our aim to increase access to good quality schooling or other learning opportunities such as self-learning and non-formal education. In neighbouring countries we will also increase access to vocational or skills training and higher education for children and youth.

At the Conference our ambition is that international donors, governments from countries in the region hosting refugees, non-governmental organisations and the private sector come together to agree a set of reciprocal financial and policy commitments. The UK and co-hosts are working with donors and other partners to secure increased funding for education under the UN-led appeals for 2016 and longer term, multi-year education funding commitments to ensure sustainability. We are also working with refugee hosting governments in particular to agree the policy commitments necessary to turn increased funding into delivery on the ground.